The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-15
Abilene's Boom.
A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES FOR
KICKERs TO PONDER OVER.

Look upon our beautiful city and tell
me not there is no everlasting boom IN
waiting for us look upon the beautiful
residences and tasty lawns that adorn
our numerous thoroughfares, but
whisper not in the ears Of an old Abb
leneite, who has seen those same high
ways and the ground upon which stands
comfortable homes but few years ago
wild prairie and the home of the coyote,
that we have not, are not and will not
thrive; look upon the great trunk lines
that lead out of our city to every part
of the civilized world, and hear the
whistle and clatter of two score of trains
that will run in and out of fair Abilene
inside Of the next sixty days, every
twenty-four hours for 365 days.in the
year, and tell us, if you want to appear
ridiculous, that we are out of the world
and not a great railroad center, and we
will tie you up to telegraph pole in
the western suburbs of the city, where
the Union Pacific, Chicago & South
western, Rock Island, and the main
line and two branches of the Santa Fe
all pass within stones throw of each
other, and if the assertion fails to par
alize your tongue, the clatter of bells
and the shrill whistle of a locomotive
every thirty minutes will deafen your
few scattered brains. Say we have
ceased to build and we will load you in
a magnificent landau and drive you to
Mt. st. Joseph Heights and show you
one of the finest college buildings in
the state, nearing its fourth story and
nearly completed; then we will, as we
drive down Buckeye avenue, Ia street
lined with elegant residences and bust
ness houses fer two miles, call your at
tention to at least sixteen new resi-
dences on that thorosghfare, many of
them costing from three to six thousand
dollars each; we will point to streets
crossing Buckeye, and everyone will
show new buildings under construction !; 1
we will drive by Knapp s. Bolster's new
barn, acknowledged to be the finest in
the state one block west from there is
Upshaw'S three-story brick block just
receiving the finishing touches, and
that block will contain the largest fur
niture stock between the Missouri |
river and Denver. Go one block !
north and we will show you
the corner lot on Broadway and Fifth |
streets, where the new city hall will |
be arected yet this fall, to cost S12, 900.
Then we will show you two elegant
three-story brick blocks on Cedar
street that have been completed but a
few weeks a two-story brick south of
the Citizens bank, that was built this
summer; the new Lock Works in Rich
land Park, the Canning Factory on
Third street. and the new County Pris-
on being built on First street. At the
corner of Cedar and Second street, we
will show you where John E. Bone
brake will build block four stories
high, for which the plans and specif-
cations have been drawn. You still
grunt, do you, and say we are not
building? Driver, go to West abb
lenel Now We are on Fairview
Heights. Count the new building un-
der way on this side of the creek and
it will reach forty, and several of these
represent over $1,000 each.
And remember, one year ago there
were not twenty houses on Grand ave-
nue.. Now you can ride past sixty
from here to the street-car bridge, and
all north have been built in the last
sixty days. You ask what the people
do? Look south of here 120 rods, and
that large brick building, Johns Car
rage Works, employs over 100 men.
The first smokestack east of the creek
is the Johntz & Rice mill, with thirteen i
run of burrs; the next smokestack is
at the water works, where two huge ,
engines pump the water to fill twelve
and half miles of water mains, and .